Oumuamua mystery stirs astronauts again, Yale experts say it's a 'cosmic iceberg'

Two and a half years ago, Hawaii discovered a strange, cigar-shaped object hurtling through the solar system on a trajectory from far away. The shape was given the name Oumuamua, which is the Hawaiian term for ‘scout’. There has been a lot of debate and discussion as to what kind of space element Oumuamua is. 

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Oumuamua and its mystery

Oumuamua was named as an interstellar asteroid, coming from another solar system. After that, astronomers decided that it must be a comet as well. They even thought of it as an alien artefact.

According to a media report, a pair of Yale astronomers have recently brought forward yet another theory about Oumuamua. They claim that it a cosmic iceberg, a chunk of frozen hydrogen. It is a primordial leftover and originates from a planetary or star system. If this theory is indeed true, then astronomers will be able to get a direct look into the stellar nurseries, something that has been yet left untouched by human technology.

There is a possibility that protected from radiation, there are certain sections in space where the temperature falls to a few degrees above zero, which can lead to the freezing of hydrogen. These frozen hydrogen particles stick to interstellar dust and that turns them into large ice cubes.

(Source: NASA/ Artist Concept)

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Dr Darryl Seligman, the postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago, has talked in the media report about how if he and his colleagues are right, then there could be more cosmic icebergs that can be detected and inspected. Dr Seligman shared that if the hydrogen hypothesis is correct, then they will be able to prove it with the help of detecting any future objects.

Karen Meech of the Institute for Astronomy, whose team discovered Oumuamua, shared that there are a lot of creative ideas out there about the object. Oumuamua never showed features typical of a comet, the flash, and sizzle along with the tail. But it certainly has a brightness and is irregularly shaped and tumbling.

Dr Seligman shared that frozen hydrogen offers a compelling mechanism for acceleration, which provides the explanation behind the speed and the boost that Oumuamua possesses. The hydrogen will be able to give the velocity of 200 feet per second to Oumuamua.

As per a news source, Dr Greg Laughlin, Dr Seligman’s advisor at the University of Chicago, shared in his email that Oumuamua's closeness to the sun melted the hydrogen and thus provided that needed boost to it. Dr Seligman also calculated that the object that later became Oumuamua has been present for less than 100 million years before it encountered us. Telescopes at the Vera Rubin Observatory that are designed to scan that entire sky in every three days will be ideal to use and spot such hydrogen icebergs entering the solar system.

(Source: NASA/ 2017 U1 is Oumuamua)

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Where is Oumuamua now?

Oumuamua is long gone far away from the Earth and is somewhere between the orbits of Saturn and Neptune today. It is still speeding towards moving out of the solar system. It will be out of the system and moving towards its next destination.

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(Source: Shutterstock/ It is a 3D illustration of Oumuamua and not the real image)